


Favorite Place

by Frazzledrose



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Family, Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27165439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frazzledrose/pseuds/Frazzledrose
Summary: A series of one shots consisting of Peter being a part of the Avengers family and Tony acting as his dad. Requests are welcome as well!
Kudos: 3





	1. I love Led Zeppelin!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to my new one shot collection! This story will consist of a series of one shots all revolving around Peter and his growing bond with the Avengers and them acting as a family and Tony acting as a dad towards him. This will not follow the storyline or timeline of Infinity war and Endgame. I refuse to accept that Tony died and Cap turned into an old man. Civil war and Homecoming did happen however, but in my stories they ended up forgiving each other and once again living together in the Avengers tower. (He didn't sell it here.)
> 
> This one shot is an innocent one about the scene in Far From Home where Peter refers to Back in Black as a song from Led Zeppelin. I loved the joke in the movie, but couldn't help but think; what would Tony say about that, with his love for AC/DC and all and that's how this one shot was born.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy reading and know that requests for other one shots are welcome!

It was Saturday afternoon and Peter was working in Tony's lab, with said mentor, just like every other weekend. After the Homecoming fiasco and him rejecting Tony's offer to be an Avenger, they'd fallen into a rhythm where Peter would come to the Avengers tower to work on either his suit, Tony's Iron Man suit or something different all together.

He was still not an actual Avenger, since he'd declined. He was still looking out for 'the little guys' in his neighbourhood, except with tech that was being kept up to date.

Part of him believed it was Tony's way of apologizing for taking his suit away, but another part of him wanted to believe that Tony actually enjoyed being his mentor and might actually care about him.

The fact that he has his own room and has movie nights not only with Tony Stark but with the other Avengers as well, leads him to believe that he might be right and Tony Stark might actually enjoy his company.

He stays the entire weekend at the Avengers tower in his own room, which still feels slightly surreal to him, and Happy drives him to school on Monday morning. Some of his classmates, Flash included, still don't believe he actually has an internship at Stark Industries and works with THE Tony Stark himself, heck even he still can't believe it.

Every time Flash comments about it he wants to tell him how wrong he is, but he can't, not without revealing his secret identity. This doesn't stop Ned from coming to his defence every time a comment is made however.

Ned is the only other person that knows what he actually does at SI, the internship being a cover, obviously. He has yet to let Ned accompany him to the tower. As much as he loves his best friend, he is terrible when it comes to meeting those people that he worships. He can practically already see him drooling over Captain America, not cool.

Tony, being the music fan that he is, is always blasting music through the lab's speakers while they're working. Peter doesn't mind and actually likes the music Tony listens to, the next song even more so than others. "Ooh I love Led Zeppelin!" He states with a smile on his face, which faltered when he noticed the expression on Tony's face as he says this. The music is cut off abruptly.

"What did you say?"

"Eeh... I just like this song Mr. Stark."

"Yeah I got that part, but which band did you say this song was from?"

"Eerr. eeh... Led Zeppelin?"

"God kid... I'm going to pretend you did not just say that."

"Is it not?" Tony raised his eyebrows at this question, but Happy entered the lab before he could respond. Normally he hardly ever set foot in the lab, but he needed Tony's signature for a shipping order and he needs it _now,_ hence the man interrupting them.

He looks at the expression on both their faces before raising an eyebrow questioningly. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No!"

"Yes!" It sounded at the same time. "Peter here has apparently even less musical knowledge than I thought and was bold enough to state that Back in Black belongs to Led Zeppelin, can you believe that?."

Happy stifled a laugh at this. "You didn't."

"Well they sound similar okay!" Peter said while throwing his hands up.

Both Happy and Tony gasped at this statement. "Thanks for the knife in my heart. That's it, lab time is over for today."

"But...–"

"No you are going to take this AC/DC album and listen to it until you've memorized every single song on it. _Then_ you are going to listen to Led Zeppelin and tell my every reason as to why they sound _nothing_ alike, understood?"

Instead of taking the CD that Tony was trying to hand him, he simply grabbed his phone from his jean pocket. At the questioning look Tony was giving him he stated "I can listen to it on Spotify remember?" With that said he exited the lab and went to his room to start his new task at hand and to sulk because his lab time had been cut short for the day.

* * *

A couple of hours later Peter was still retreated in his room, lying on his bed with his headphones on, listening to Led Zeppelin at the moment. He'd listened to both the album and the song Back in Black multiple times and as much as he hates to admit, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin sound nothing alike.

He's even more afraid to admit that he actually likes AC/DC, pretty sure that Tony would never let him live it down. It was at that moment that F.R.I.D.A.Y. chose to speak up. "Sir has asked me to inform you that diner is currently being served in the common room Mr. Parker."

"Let me guess, pizza?" He asked the AI and smiled at her response. "You guessed correctly."

He jumped out of bed and made his way to the common room, where Tony and the other Avengers were currently eating pizza while discussing what movie to watch later on that evening.

When he entered, everyone turned to look at him and greeted him with smiles. "Hey kid, grab a slice before Steve eats it all!" Clint greeted him, while ignoring Steve's comment on how Clint was already on his fourth slice. As he wanted to resume eating his slice, which was apparently his fourth, he found his plate empty and Nat smirking at him casually eating his pizza.

"Everytime.." He grumbled.

Tony smirked at him when he sat down next to his mentor. "Well?"

"Well what?" Peter retorted while taking a bite of his slice of Pepperoni pizza.

"Don't get cute with me kid, you know what I'm talking about."

"Do we have to discuss this now Mr. Stark?" By now all the other Avengers were staring at him as well, for a group of adult Superheroes they were a curious bunch.

"Peter here–"

"Okay fine! You were right, happy now?"

"Hmm no I think you might have to elaborate on that, I'm not sure I'm following.." Tony smirked while Peter's face had turned a dark shade of red.

"Mr. Stark..." Peter lamented.

"Peter"

Peter hung his head in defeat. "Fine, you were right, they sound nothing alike."

"Is anyone else seriously confused right now?" Bruce asked.

Before the other Avengers could answer the doctor, Tony slung his arm around Peter's shoulders and spoke "Peter here had a little mixup in the lab and compared Led Zeppelin to AC/DC and even went as far as to state that Back in Black is in fact a song by Led Zeppelin."

Clint snorted. "Don't worry kid, last time I commented on his music taste, he altered Jarvis' protocols to start blasting AC/DC every time I spoke of certain music groups which Tony was not a fan of."

Peter managed to smile at this. " Yeah, it would scare the shit out of me every time, Highway to hell still gives me nightmares."

"I don't think Steve approves of that kind of talk Clint" Peter deadpanned.

Clint snorted at Peter's witty comment while Tony and Nat burst out laughing. Bruce smiled at the kid's quick wit as well, yet remained quiet.

Now it was Steve's turn to turn a dark shade of red. "Jezus Tony, you even told the kid about that?!"

"Kids nowadays idolize you Cap I had to give him some dirt on you. And I also told him because it's an hilarious story and I wanted to tell him."

"I'm never going to live this down..." Steve replied while returning to his pizza.

It was amazing how fast Peter had been accepted and become a part of their misfit family in these past couple of months. When he stole Cap's shield in Germany he would have never dreamed that he would be eating with the guy, let alone make fun of him as if he's actually friends with him.

That feeling goes for every member of the Avengers. Just last week he was sparring with the Black Widow, working in the lab with Bruce and engaged in a prank war with none other than Hawkeye himself. It still feels surreal to him.

"Still Led Zeppelin... really kid?" And that's when the moment was ruined for Peter, it was back to being embarrassed in front of his heroes.

"Can we just drop it, please?"

"Ooh no, I'm going to enjoy this for a very long time."

"Okay Boomer" Tony gaped at him. Nat and Steve attempted to hide their smiles while Clint barked a laugh and high fived Peter.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Peter retorted with a smirk.

" _Okay Boomer?"_

_"_ Okay Boomer is a phrase that is currently immensely popular and frequently used by the generation Z–" As impossible as it is for a computer system to sound amused, the AI's voice sounded through the common room with a hint of playfulness to her voice.

"I'm familiar with it FRI, shut up! Even my AI is turning against me now...You give them a home, provide them with food, yet they still turn against you." Tony shook his head in disbelief, but his eyes betrayed him.

He ruffled Peter's hair, knowing how much the kid hated it when he messed it up.

Once they were finished eating, another discussion had started on which movie to watch, movie titles which they'd watched multiple time already were thrown around until Peter spoke up. "Or instead of watching a movie I could let you guys try and beat me at Mario Kart again?" Peter told Clint and Steve.

Smiles appeared on both their faces before they sprinted to the couch. "You're on kid!" Clint screamed while Steve fought with Clint over the 'good controller'

Steve being the stronger of the duo managed to snatch the white controller out of Clint's hands while shying away from a punch directed at his bicep while Clint mumbled something along the lines of _stupid old man._

Peter smiled at the ordeal in front of him before joining them as well. "Pay attention geezers, maybe you'll learn a thing or two."

Two pillows slammed into his head at the same time at this remark, even Tony couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight in front of him.


	2. For Whom The Bell Tolls

The sound of a bell ringing brought Peter back to his current Physics class, his final class of the day before he could spend another weekend at the Tower with Tony and hopefully the Avengers. Normally he would spend every other weekend there and he'd been there last weekend, but his aunt May had been asked to cover 3 night shifts at the hospital this weekend for a coworker.

She didn't want him to be alone for 3 nights, therefore she'd asked Tony if he could spend this weekend at the tower as well and the billionaire had happily agreed to let him stay over.

When his aunt and Tony had exchanged numbers or had even started talking to each other about matters that concern _him,_ like co-parents, was a mystery to him.

The ringing of a bell sounded once more, but it wasn't the school bell, it sounded oddly enough like a church bell, which is weird considering the fact that there isn't a church within 2 miles of his school. He knows he has enhanced hearing, but even he can't hear sounds from that far away.

The ringing stopped but then drums sounded and after that an electric guitar was added to the mix, it was a song, a song which he'd never heard before and he had no idea where it was coming from. Apparently his classmates did, since all eyes were on him, even Ned's.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" He whispered to his best friend sitting next to him.

"Dude that's your phone."

"What? No...that's not my ringtone, I've never even heard this number before, why would I have it as my ringtone?" He asked in a hushed voice. Apparently they were very bad at whispering since MJ answered him.

"That's For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica nerd and it _is_ coming from your phone."

And that's when it clicked in his brain. He could only think of a single person who was that big a fan of classic rock bands and would hack his phone to change his ringtone, just for the fun of it. _Great...Tony..._ he thought and fished his phone out of his pocket to check the caller ID. No surprise there when it showed Tony Stark on the screen.

"Mr. Parker care to elaborate with the rest of us why your phone is disturbing my class? You know the rules mister." Mrs. Warren addressed him while giving him a stern glare.

He stumbled to find the correct words. "Eeh sorry Mrs. Warren but someone is calling me regarding the Stark internship and it could be important. Could I please answer it in the hallway? I promise I'll be quick." He made a conscious decision not to tell her that it was Tony Stark himself that was calling him, not wanting to make a big fuss about it.

Mrs. Warren sighed before caving. "I'll allow it, but only this once!" _There is something irresistible about the puppy dog eyes of that kid._ She thought.

He quickly thanked her before stepping out into the hallway, ignoring Flash's comments about his lies and the fact that he could never have an internship at SI.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Hey kid, just calling you to ask what you'd like for diner tonight, we have a bit of a debate going on here. You see Clint, and I want pizza, Nat wants Chinese takeout and Bruce and Steve Thai, your–" Peter cut him off before he could continue.

"Wait you mean to tell me that you're calling me in the middle of the day when I'm in _school_ just to ask what I want for diner tonight?!" Peter ran his hand through his curls in frustration.

"Well yeah, see you have the casting voice here, except if you were to side with Nat, then we would still have a tie."

"I had permission to step out of my class to answer your phone call because I told my teacher it could be something important regarding my 'internship'... Also, I was humiliated in front of my entire class because _someone_ thought it'd be funny to hack my phone, change my ringtone to some Metallica song and turn the volume up all the way, thanks for that by the way, and you have the audacity to tell me you just called to ask what I want for diner because 5 adults can't decide what to order and have to rely on a high schooler to cast the final vote?! "

He could hear Tony chuckle on the other end of the line. "Pretty much, so what's it gonna be?"

"Thai." He hung up the phone, before he could hear Tony's protests of him siding with Steve rather than his mentor.

All eyes were on him when he re-entered the classroom and resumed his seat next to his best friend, so much for being inconspicuous at school. Once seated he could feel his phone buzz from an incoming text.

_Forgot to tell you, Happy won't be able to pick you up today, someone else will be there to pick you up at 3 - T_

Peter stared at the text message in confusion, why wouldn't Happy be able to drive him to the tower today and who _is_? He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Flash shouting at him from the other side of the room.

"Yo Penis! Got a call from SI to inform you that your internship has been terminated? Ooh, wait you need an actual internship for that to happen."

He opened his mouth to reply, but Ned beat him to it. "Not that it's any of your business but that was Tony Stark calling him." Flash snorted.

"Yeah keep dreaming losers there's no way that he knows Tony Stark _or_ has an internship at SI. They only accept college interns."

"Mr. Thompson that's enough! Everyone turn you attention back to the board please." Flash remained silent after that.

Peter loves his best friend, he really does, but sometimes he wished that he would tone it down a little with all his talk about him knowing Tony Stark and all.

The internship is a cover for him being Spider-Man and is supposed to protect his identity, he doesn't want everyone to know that he actually works with Tony Stark himself because well that will only lead to more questions. Questions that he can't answer truthfully.

His thoughts wander back to his conversation with Tony over the phone and the embarrassment the man had brought him today.

"Hey Ned, do you think you could hack a phone for me?" He asked him with a grin plastered on his face.

* * *

Peter closed his locker and walked towards the double doors that would lead him outside. They walked through the exit when he and Ned noticed a forming crowd around a black sports car. Both the vehicle and the person leaning against it had garnered attention from their fellow classmates. They shared a look before walking down the steps to investigate.

When they approached the crowd, Peter heard a very familiar voice. _Crap..._ he thought, suddenly feeling the urge to flee the scene. "Dude is _that_ your ride?!" Ned said beaming. "It appears so.." Came Peters grumbled reply.

"Your life is so cool man...when are you letting me come over to the tower?"

"When you are able to remain cool when meeting Tony and the other Avengers instead of going all fanboy on them."

"What? I can totally be cool, wait the other Avengers? As in you live with the Avengers? You've met them? Dude that is so unbelievably cool."

Peter smiled at his friends rambling. "Yes I live with them when they're home during the weekends I'm at the tower. If you'd been paying closer attention you'd have noticed by now that one of them is standing next to that sports car, here to pick me up." He laughed at the wonder-struck expression on Ned's face as they slowly fought their way through the crowd of students.

Ned squealed at the sight in front of him. Peter had long ago recognized the voice of the man being bombarded with questions by his fellow classmates, but it only just now dawned on Ned who it was. None other than _freaking_ Hawkeye, or just Clint to him.

"Peter you _have_ to let me come over and introduce me to the Avengers!"

"Maybe some other time."

"Ah there you are squirt!" Clint's voice sounded as Peter had fought his way through the mass of students. "You know Peter?" Cindy asked, while Flash shot him a dirty look.

"You bet I know Peter, I'm here to pick him up after all." He ruffled Peter's hair as he answered Cindy's question. "Clint...not here, _please."_ Peter was about to die of embarrassment.

"You call him Clint?" By now all of his classmates were staring at him, especially Flash. If looks could kill he'd have been murdered by Flash right about now. Great, now all of his previous attempts to keep his life with Tony Stark and the Avengers a secret had been for nothing.

He was bombarded with questions all at once. " _How do you know Hawkeye? Do you know the other Avengers? Do you really know Tony Stark? Can you introduce me to the Avengers?"_ He felt cornered.

"What do you say we get out of here kid? Maybe we'll have time for another game of Mario Kart without Steve hogging the good controller."

"Yeah sounds good, see you monday Ned." He waved at his best friend, leaving his astounded classmates behind, and got in the passenger seat.

"Well that was fun." Clint said when Peter was buckled in and he drove off while ruffling his hair again.

" _Please_ tell me that this was the _one_ and _only_ time one of you guys will be picking me up from school." Peter said as he attempted to flatten his curls that were now standing out in every direction.

He felt like jumping out of the rolling vehicle when a smirk appeared on Clint's face. _Yup... I'm screwed..._

* * *

It had taken Peter a lot of convincing to get Ned to hack Tony's phone and change the ringtone. His best friend kept reminding him that hacking another person's phone is a felony, _especially i_ f that phone belongs to none other than Tony freaking Stark. " _Guy in the chair remember? He doesn't know you, therefore he will never suspect it was you that hacked his phone."_ He'd told his friend who had then reluctantly agreed to his request but had gone on to reminisce that it was _yet,_ Tony Stark didn't know who he was _yet_ and that he owed him big time.

Tony was currently in the middle of a meeting with the secretary of defense and the President himself, when his phone rang. They had called for a meeting after Tony had advocated for Senator Ross to be removed from his duties regarding the Accords.

He explicitly remembers putting his phone on silent before the meeting had started. He also remembers the sound of his ringtone which is clearly _not_ the Darth Vader theme.

The only reason that he actually knows what the Darth Vader theme sounds like is because of Peter's persistent requests of watching Star Wars whenever he is staying over.

He actually laughed upon hearing his new ringtone and couldn't help but feel pride tugging at his heart. The kid had guts, he had to give him that and he probably deserved it he'd done the same thing to him after all.

"I'm sorry, but I fail to see the humor in this situation Mr. Stark." The secretary of defense addressed him, not pleased with the sudden interruption.

He glanced at the caller ID, _Happy_ before pressing ignore, he would have to wait until after the meeting. Happy was running errands for him that day instead of picking Peter up from school, therefore he knew he wasn't calling him regarding his kid and didn't feel the pressing need to answer the call.

He glanced at his phone again, however, when it buzzed with an incoming text from Happy.

_I think F.R.I.D.A.Y. has been hacked. She referred to you as Mr. Stank when I asked if you were back from your meeting yet and called me a Boomer? –H_

_"_ I'm going to kill that kid." Tony mumbled to himself. Apparently Peter has transcended him in the art of pranking.


	3. More pranks and Avengers at Midtown

"So have you thought about asking MJ out on a date yet?" Ned asked his best friend as they strolled through the halls of Midtown Tech on their way towards the exit, the weekend awaiting them.

They were surrounded by a myriad of students from different grades and the hallway was filled with dispersed conversations as they reached the exit. "Ned quiet! I don't need the everyone knowing about–" He stumbled as Flash 'accidentally' bumped into him while walking down the steps outside the school.

"You don't need everyone knowing about what? Your love life, as if you have one Penis." Flash commented while smirking at them. Peter felt like wiping that stupid smirk off his face, but he couldn't exactly do that without giving away that he knew how to fight. That and he would probably break his jaw with the amount of strength behind his punches.

"Back off Flash." Peter said through gritted teeth. He was not in the mood for one of his taunts.

"I mean why would anyone go out on a date with you, considering that your last one was such a disaster that she up and moved to Oregon." The date he hinted at was Homecoming night with Liz and the fact that she'd moved to Oregon after her father was brought into custody. He hadn't wanted his family to be around for the trial.

Peter took a step in Flash's direction, they were now almost nose to nose. "At least I didn't almost wet myself in front of my date when Spider-Man stole my father's car." Ned stiffled a laugh at Peter's comeback which only resulted in him receiving a death glare from Flash.

"What did you say Parker?"

"You heard me." Ned was about to pull the two apart before a punch could be thrown when he noticed two women walking up to them.

"What's going on here?" Natasha asked as she removed her sunglasses while letting her hand rest on Peter's shoulder. Beside her stood Wanda, who was eyeing Flash disaprovingly. Flash gulped as he stared at the two women in front of him. The Black Widow and Scarlett Witch, two very powerful women, a force not to be reckoned with. Two women who apparently knew Peter, that couldn't be right, could it?

"Eeh...we were ehm...discussing our dates for the weekend?" Flash stumbled over his words.

"Date? I thought that we were supposed to go out this weekend?" Wanda asked Peter, who's mouth dropped open, eyes wide. "What...–" Nathasha plowed over him though. "Don't tell me that you don't remember having a date with Wanda? I mean you asking her and all, wouldn't want to disappoint a lady now would you Peter?" Both women suppressed a laugh at the shocked expression on Peter's face, his cheeks now a dark shade of red.

"No!... I eeh... I mean of course I haven't forgotten about that...date...just to make sure _you_ haven't either, where are we going again?"

"Sushi and to the arcade remember?"

Flash remained eerily quiet throughout this conversation, abashed by the two women standing in front of him, one of which is discussing a date with Penis.. no Peter, who they apparently _do_ know.

For weeks he'd been proclaiming that Peter's bond with Tony Stark and the other Avengers was all pretense. There was absolutely not a change that he knew them and he had been so sure of it, until now.

Both the Black Widow and Scarlett Witch stood mere metres away from him and were both eyeing him suspiciously, _not intimidating at all..._ His thoughts were interrupted by Peter's voice. "Right, the new sushi place downtown we've been wanting to go to for awhile now."

"That's the one, now shall we get going?" Wanda asked.

"Go where? Happy isn't here yet." Natasha laughed at this remark. "Happy is not picking you up today, we are, so chop-chop we don't have all day."

 _No no no...not again..._ Peter thought as he waved goodbye to his best friend, sauntering after Nat and Wanda while keeping his head down as he was certain they'd chosen a not so inconspicuous car for the ride to the tower. They did not disappoint as one of Tony's Audi cabrio's stood in front of him, the orange one.

The car had already garnered attention from his fellow students as there was a small crowd around the vehicle. He could vaguely make out what some of the students were saying. _Who's car is that? That car is so cool! Doesn't Tony Stark drive Audi's?_

However, the moment he, Nat and Wanda approached the car, all the attention was on them. A multitude of questions were now directed at _him._ _Is that the Black Widow? How come another Avenger is picking you up? Are you friends with all of the Avengers? Can you introduce me to Tony Stark?_

He ran a hand through his hair while figuring out a way to escape his current 'situation' but Natasha beat him to it. She wrapped her arm around him protectively before speaking; " Yes Peter here knows the Avengers and no he won't be answering any of your questions since Tony is expecting him back at the Tower as we speak."

 _Thanks for making it worse Nat..._ Peter thought while getting in the backseat of the car. He slumped in his seat praying that he could just disappear into thin air. Thankfully Nat put the car into gear and drove off.

The moment his school disappeared from his sight he turned towards both women before speaking. "Want to explain what all that was about?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Peter, you have to be a little bit more specific. " Natasha's eyes beamed with mischief as she answered the boy.

"All that crap about me going on a date with you Wanda! What was that?" Peter's voice rising a few octaves.

"We were only helping you, that's all." Wanda said.

"Well it's embarrassing! Why are you picking me up anyway? Is this a new thing where you take turns picking me up from school and embarrassing me in front of my classmates in the most creative way possible? Cause if so, it's working and it's _not_ funny at all." Peter paused his rambling momentarily, eyes widening as realization dawned on him. " Oh god if Steve's turn comes around, will I have to ride on the back of his Harley?" Nat and Wanda shared a laugh.

"Probably" Nat answered him with a smirk.

"Great...my life is over."

"It wasn't _that_ bad now was it?" Natasha asked.

"The _only_ thing worse would have been Wanda driving." Came Peter's grumbled reply.

"Hey! I'm an excellent driver!" Both Natasha and Peter quirked up an eyebrow at this statement. "Yeah you're probably right..."

* * *

Tony entered his lab, looking around for his phone. He'd forgotten about the device when Wanda came into the lab earlier asking for his help. Before he could respond or grab his phone she'd dragged him out of the lab and towards the common room. Thor was hanging around the tower this weekend and apparently he'd forgotten how to use the technology around the tower, _again._

They'd found him screaming at the microwave willing the device to warm up his spaghetti. The moment they walked in he was about to smash it into the ground out of frustration.

Tony checked his phone for any new messages when it started ringing, showing Peter's caller ID. As he pressed answer though, web fluid sprayed in his face, partially blocking his eyesight. "PETER!" Where was that kid as he was certain he was the one who'd tampered with his phone, _again..._ one day he was going to kill that kid.

Laughter filled his ears as the culprit entered his lab. "I'm sorry Tony, I couldn't help myself." He said in between laughs.

Even though web fluid was blocking his eyes, Tony was aware of a flash. "I swear to god if anyone dares to take a picture you will be sleeping on the streets tonight!"

"As if we haven't heard that threat before, I like the new look Tony, it suits you." Came Natasha's reply as she too burst out laughing.

"Peter you better dissolve this web fluid right now mister!"

"Well I would but you seem really mad right now...so uh...it will dissolve itself in 2 hours...bye!" With that Peter ran out of his lab, his laughter still filling the hallway.

"Peter! PETER!" He sighed in defeat. "That kid...Fri get rid of the web fluid for me would you." Tony said to his AI.

"I'm sorry but it appears that my protocols have been overwritten and I am unable to help you, Mr Stank."

"That's it, I'm going to kill him."

* * *

All week after Peter had sprayed his mentor's face in web fluid he'd been expecting him to either yell at him, scold him of prank him back but neither of those had happened. Tony had been very calm all weekend as if nothing had happened. At first he thought he might have taken things a bit too far, until he'd seen a picture of Tony on the fridge saturday morning, face covered in web fluid.

Peter pushed the school door open all the while listening to Ned's rambling about his new lego set that he wanted to build with him next weekend. He nodded along as he searched the school grounds for Happy's car. His stomach dropped, however, when his eyes landed upon a familiar face, waving at him enthusiastically.

In between waves he was taking pictures with some of his fellow classmates and answering their questions politely.

In that moment he knew why Tony had been acting as if nothing had happened, he was waiting for the right moment to get back at him, which was now. If he could he would sink through the floor, maybe he could ask Doctor Strange to teach him about creating and disappearing through one of those portals?

"Dude...is that–" Ned stopped mid question as he gaped at his idol standing mere feet away from him.

"Yep that is Captain America picking me up on his freaking motorcycle..."

_Please kill me now..._


	4. Tony Stark has a son?

Tony was working on his new Iron Man suit when Pepper entered the lab, placing a newspaper in front of him. Without looking up from his work, he addressed his fiancé. "I'm a bit busy as you can see, can I look at whatever you want to show me later?"

"You are going to want to see this Tony." Pepper answered while pointing towards the headline of that days _New York Times._ Tony removed his safety goggles, and fixed Pepper with a confused stare before glancing down to where her finger was pointing at a picture of him and... Peter? "What's this?" He held the newspaper in his hand before reading the headline out loud.

_Tony Stark has a son?_ He slumped down in a chair before reading the article about him and Peter, who people believed to be his son? It wasn't shocking to see his face plastered on the front page of the New York Times, this is something he is used to in fact but allegations about him having a child and that child being none other than Peter Parker, now that is a first.

Tony Stark; genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, there was plenty of news about him to share with the world every single day, both good and bad. Peter Parker; Spider-Man, genius, mop of curls, brown puppy dog eyes, overall just a good kid, now he wanted to shy him away from the media, protect him but evidently he had failed.

The picture the press had used was one of him and Peter walking along side each other and was taken a couple of days ago when he'd taken the kid out for diner. Peter was looking up at him and smiling at something he'd said, probably a joke he'd made.

"This is bad...Fri has this been picked up by the news yet?"

"It has currently been portrayed on 27 different news channels across the globe sir." Spoke his AI. Tony sighed in defeat as he contemplated what their next course of action should be. Pepper's hand landed on his shoulder and she squeezed it gently. He rubbed his hands over his face before standing from his chair. "Arrange a press conference Pep–"

"Already done, I scheduled it at 4." Tony smiled at his fiancé in gratitude before adding, "and a meeting with–"

"The person who wrote this ridiculous article? Also done, you're having lunch with him at noon."

"You are perfect you know that right?" Tony asked his fiancé before pecking her on the lips. "So I have been told once or twice."

* * *

Peter entered his school, Ned by his side. They were currently engaged in a heated discussion about the new Star Wars series; The Mandalorian. "The Mandalorian is set 5 years after the destruction of the Death Star, Yoda was already dead by then. Therefore the term baby Yoda is incorrect, there is simply no way that the child is Yoda in a younger form Ned." Peter argued his best friend as they walked toward their locker.

"I know, but he is of the same species as Yoda and therefore calling him baby Yoda doesn't necessarily mean..." Ned trailed off as he looked around the hallway filled with students.

For some reason all eyes appeared to be on them. "Dude why is everyone staring at us? Am I wearing two different shoes again..." He sneaked a look at his shoes, which were identical, _That would have been embarrassing–,_ before facing his best friend again, "This is weird right?"

The myriad of students surrounding them were whispering every so often while constantly glancing and pointing in their direction. "Yep this is weird...let's just get to class." Peter stated as he grabbed his backpack and pulled Ned with him in the direction of their first class of the day. Upon entering their classroom they were met with more stares and whispers.

"Hey Penis do you really believe that paying a reporter to post fake photo's of you and Tony Stark will get us to believe that you intern for him?" Peter was baffled by this taunt. He had no idea what he was talking about but it gave him a vague idea as to why everyone was whispering about him that morning.

"What photo? What's going on?" Peter's question was answered by Cindy's news segment coming on the tv hanging in the corner near the whiteboard. "This morning the news every one seems to be buzzing about is of Midtown's very own Peter Parker. Every newspaper in the entire city of New York has the same headline on their front page accompanied with this photo of Peter and Tony Stark. The headline reads: _Tony Stark has a son?"_ Peter tore his eyes away from the screen, not wanting to hear any more.

"Dude...people think Tony Stark is your father? What are you going to do?" Ned asked him as Peter had taken out his phone. His aunt had already texted him after seeing the news and was asking how he was doing, he ignored her for the time being as he was more concerned about Tony's text: _We need to talk-T_

The news had obviously reached his mentor and he wanted to talk. No big deal right? He probably wanted to discuss how they were going to tackle this problem...or he thought _he_ was the one who had talked to the press...no he wouldn't...would he? No that's ridiculous, Tony knows he would never spread such preposterous lies about him.

Yet he still almost drops his phone the moment it starts ringing and Tony's name appears on his screen. Ned notices his friends distress. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

Class hadn't started yet and Mr Harrington wasn't there yet either. Peter stepped out in the hallway, his thumb hovering over his phone for a moment before pressing answer.

"Hey Mr. Stark...I uh...I take it you saw the news? I swear I had nothing to do with it...I don't know how they took that picture of us, were they hiding in the bushes?–"

"Peter."

"No that would be ridiculous right? I don't...–"

"Peter!" Peter silenced himself and cut off his rambling. "I'm calling to ask if you're okay kid."

"If I'm okay?"

"Yes, me being a billionaire and wellknown superhero, I'm used to the press and articles as ridiculous as this one but for you this is new and I had hoped you'd never have to deal with any of this but here we are. So yes I'm asking if you're okay." Tony sounded sincere and Peter could feel some of the tension ease off him.

"It's weird since I seem to be the talk of the day but I'm okay I guess..."

"That's good kid, is there any press at your school yet?"

"Press? Ehm..No I haven't seen any yet...What are you going to do about this though? Peter asked him as he ran a hand through his curls which has become a bit of a habit of him whenever he is stressed.

"You leave that to me and if the press do show up, call me alright? I'll have Happy pick you up and deal with them."

"Thanks Mr Stark...I'll do that, I have to get to class though."

"Take care kid." With that Tony disconnected the call and Peter was ushered back into the classroom by Mr. Harrington who had arrived and was eager to begin.

* * *

The bell rang, signalling the end of their schoolday and Peter was anxious to get out of there. He'd been the centre of attention for the entire day, being bombarded with questions whenever an opportunity arose. _Is Tony Stark actually your dad? I thought your father was dead. Is Tony Stark your adoptive father?_

Mr. Harrington had given him the change to clear up the rumor but still some students were not convinced, especially Flash.

Flash still believed he had bribed a journalist into posting this article _and_ had given him a photoshopped picture of him and Tony Stark to bolster the article, and _he_ was the crazy one?

Peter slammed his locker shut and walked toward the schools exit, only to stop in his tracks abruptly, causing Ned to collide with him. "Why did you stop?" Ned followed Peter's gaze and that's when he noticed the reporters stationed outside their school.

There were at least 15 hungry reporters out there, camera flashes could be seen every few seconds as they all fought to get a glimpse of Peter.

"What the F...–"

Ned ignored the profanity that left his best friends mouth and asked him, "what are you going to do?" But Peter had already pulled out his phone.

"Hey Mr. Stark...Those reporters you warned me about are at my school and blocking the exit." Ned listened to the short phone call and opened his mouth to speak as Peter's name sounded through the hallway. It was Happy, how had he gotten here so fast?

"Peter, oh there you are! Let's go shall we?" He asked the teen as he took a moment to catch his breath after having fought his way through the crowd of reporters outside.

"Happy how did you get here so fast? I only just called Tony." Peter asked the man in confusion. "I'll explain later, let's get you out of here first shall we?" Peter nodded at him and let himself be led toward the exit, Ned trailing after them. The moment Happy pushed the double doors open, the reporters were on them and bombarded him with questions.

_Is Tony Stark your father? "Has Tony Stark been shielding you from the public?_

Peter shielded his eyes from all the bright camera flashes and let himself be pulled toward the awaiting car while Happy pushed through the mass of reporters, repeating the same phrase, "no comment," over and over again.

"Good luck Peter." His best friend told him as he made his way to _his_ ride home, the subway. "Thanks Ned." Peter answered him as he waved goodbye. Happy would've offered Ned a ride home as well, given the situation, but Tony's press conference was starting soon and he'd requested Peter to attend.

Happy opened the car door for Peter and gently nudged him inside. He was quick to drive off and the moment the school and sea of reporters had disappeared from their view, Peter's questions started. "How did you know there would be reporters at my school? How did you get there so fast, did Tony tell you to stake out?"

"One question at a time buddy, no Tony didn't ask me to stake out...–"

"You chose to wait outside my school didn't you? I knew you cared Happy." Peter told the man in a sing song voice.

"What? That's ridiculous... I didn't...No I...If you tell Tony about this..." Peter grinned at him.

* * *

Lunch with the journalist behind this story had been great, for Tony that is, the journalist not so much.

The moment he'd sat down, Tony had threatened him, telling him that if he ever published an article such as that one he wouldn't have to worry about his job anymore, he'd make sure that the _only_ place that would ever hire him again was Burger King.

Then he went on to tell him how Peter was _not_ his son but he cared for him as if he was and never _ever_ wanted to see his face plastered over the front page of _any_ newspaper ever again. With that said he'd ordered a cheeseburger.

"Ah there you are Peter." Tony said as Happy escorted Peter into the room in which Tony was about to start his press conference. He ruffled the kids hair and slung his arm around his shoulder for a moment, only to be interrupted by Pepper who was calling him toward the stage.

"And now Mr. Stark has prepared a statement, he will not be taking any questions, thank you." With that said Pepper stepped away from all the mics as Tony took her place.

"Hi ehm...there's been speculation that I have a son named Peter, who is standing over there and I am here today to clear this up once and for all. No Peter is not my son, he is however, an Intern at Stark Industries. Popular belief has it that we only hire college interns here at SI, which is true. But, Peter here is an exception to that rule since he is my personal intern. Why I would hire a 16 year old high school kid as my personal intern you ask? Peter here is a genius, in fact let me tell you something, he is the one who designed the web shooting formula for our very own friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man." Collective gasps sounded throughout the room, Peter included, as he said this.

Peter's aunt May entered the room and planted herself between her nephew and Pepper. "What did I miss?" She asked her nephew after she planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Ooh not much...yeah Tony here just told the entire world that I'm the one who designed Spider-Man's web fluid, he might as well reveal my secret identity while he's at it..."

"That concludes my statement, no further comment." Tony exited the stage and was immediately greeted by Peter. "Why did you tell them I'm the one who designed Spider-Man's web fluid? Now everyone at school will be on my case about _that._ " Peter lamented.

"Relax kid, you deserved the credit."

"I might as well have gone up there myself and given a statement, starting with 'I am Spider-Man'." Peter replied while throwing his arms up in exasperation.

"Well that _is_ how I imagine you revealing your secret identity to the world someday." Tony said as he ruffled his hair again, receiving an angry glare from Peter as he attempted to flatten his curls.

"You know," Pepper addressed May, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that those two _are_ father and son."

"I concur." May answered Pepper, her lips twitching into a smile.


	5. The Guardians of Disneyland

"I'm sorry kid, I really am but this is a meeting I can't miss, otherwise Pepper will have my head." Tony told the now moping Peter, whom he'd promised could spend the weekend with him at the tower during his spring break.

Tony hated breaking promises when it came to Peter, one look into those big brown eyes filled with sadness and disappointment and Tony felt like sending _any_ other person to California for this board meetings. He can't though, and he knows this, hence the reason for him having to let the kid down.

Well not entirely...he's found a solution in which Peter can accompany him to California without him having to cancel his meetings.

"I have, however, arranged for you to come with me to California, it's just not in the way you might think." Tony began as Peter furrowed his brows in confusion.

"You're not flying with _me_ to California and I still have to attend all the meetings over the course of the next two days, but afterwards I'll show you around Malibu."

"But what about the days you'll be in those meetings? Where will I be staying and better yet what will I be doing?" Peter asked, still not seeing where this is going.

"You'll be at Disneyland with the Guardians." Tony smirked at Peter's facial expression as he said this. Eyes and mouth wide open, he even wore the same wonderstruck expression that his best friend Fred or no... Ned, yes Ned had worn when he first met _him_.

Peter managed to compose himself as he spoke, "The Guardians of the Galaxy? I'm going to Disneyland with The Guardians of the Galaxy?!"

"That is unless you don't want to? I could always–"

"No! I mean yes! I would love to go with them to Disneyland! I just... don't understand how or better yet _why_ they'd want to spend two days in an amusement park with _me."_

Tony chuckled, that kid was just too damn polite. "Let's just say that Rocket owes me a favor since he attempted to steal the prototype of Bucky's new mechanic arm last time they were on earth and Quill...well it wasn't that difficult to convince him, he'll do anything that Rocket _doesn't_ want to do... piece of cake."

 _I can't believe this...I'm going to Disneyland with the freaking Guardians of the Galaxy... "_ When do we leave?"

* * *

Peter watched in amazement as the Milano touched down on the top of Stark tower and the Guardians exited the ship.

He spotted Rocket first who was quickly followed by Groot, who was at the moment about the same height as him, playing a video game as he walked.

The green lady whom Peter believed to be Gamora, was in the middle of a heated discussion with whom he recalled to be the leader of the Guardians, Quill as Tony had called him.

Drax was the last to step off the ship, munching on some peanuts as he sauntered after his comrades, looking at the tower in marvel.

Rocket was the first to reach them. "So this is the kid we'll be babysitting for the weekend?" He asked as he gave Peter a once over. "Hey! I don't need a baby–" Peter's protest was cut off by Gamora as she hit Rocket in the head.

"Oow what was that for?" Rocket complained as he rubbed his now aching head.

"Be nice." Gamora answered him sternly as she turned towards Peter and extended her hand at him. "Hi I'm Gamora, don't listen to him, we're happy to have you come with us to California and we are not here to babysit you."

Peter smiled at her nervously as he shook her hand. "...I...I'm..Peter." Drax nearly choked on a peanut as he burst out laughing. "You...You're name is also Peter? HAH! Quill did you hear that? HAHAHAHA"

Rocket snickered as well upon hearing Peter's name and seeing Quill's face scrunch up in annoyance.

" I am Groot." Apparently he found this situation to be funny as well as he looked up from his game with a smile.

Peter shouldered his bag, feeling uncomfortable. _Quill's name is also Peter?_

Tony's hand landed on his shoulder. "Have fun kid I'll see you in two days, and you" he pointed his finger at the Guardians before continuing, "bring him back in one piece."

"Yeah yeah we've heard the threats before, let's get going." Rocket answered as he gently pushed Peter toward the ship.

* * *

"I still think we should shoot the guy." Rocket stated as he gave the ticket salesman one last angry glare. It had taken them far longer to buy their entry tickets than they'd anticipated.

Well what would you expect when a green lady, a huge grey guy covered in tattoos, without a shirt on, a raccoon and a _tree_ were seeking entrance to your park, you're bound to be skeptical... or refuse entrance.

After both Peter's had profusely attempted to convince the man that these were the Guardians of the Galaxy, without any luck, Peter Parker had simply called Tony Stark and have him convince the man.

Tony being Tony had threatened to sue the park if they weren't allowed entrance at once, the poor man had immediately given them 6 free entry passes.

"We will not be shooting anybody this weekend, we are here to enjoy ourselves, now where to first?" Before Gamora's question could be answered, a small brown haired boy came running toward them. "Mommy look it's a raccoon! Can I take a picture with it please?"

The Guardians shared a confused look, while Peter stiffled a laugh. The mother gave Rocket an apologetic look. "Could he take a picture with you please? He loves animals and your costume looks very realistic."

Rocket snarled and opened his mouth to tell this lady that it was _not_ a costume, but Gamore beat him to it. "Of course, it would be his pleasure." She pushed Rocket toward the child, who immediately joined his side, smiling at the camera. Gamora thanked the lady, but not before asking her to send the picture to her phone as well.

"I am Groot."

"Shut up or I'll take your game away for an entire week."

"No you're right Groot, he _does_ look adorable in this picture." Gamora said as she showed the picture to everyone, even Peter couldn't contain his laughter anymore.

"Watch it mini Stark or i'll gift you to Yondu, he likes to eat teens such as yourself." Peter shut up immediately. "Who...Who's Yondu?" He stammered.

"Don't worry about it kid, he's lying." It was the first time Quill addressed him that day as he squeezed his shoulder. "Now I say we try this so called Space Mountain first."

As it turned out Space Mountain had to wait seeing as Rocket and Groot were quite the attraction as they were both asked to take pictures with kids 2 more times. Even Gamora was granted a picture with a cute little girl.

Peter Quill decided to try his luck after a little boy thanked a grumpy Rocket.

"Hey kid you want to take one with me as well? I'm Star-Lord." The kid's eyes showed no recognition upon hearing the name, only confusion. "Who?"

"Star-Lord, I've saved the Galaxy you know." The kid only retreated further and now clung to his mother's legs. "Mommy I'm scared." His mother smiled at them kindly before taking her son's hand and walking away from them.

The other Guardians laughed at his failed attempt. "Don't worry Quill, you are just not as popular and good looking like the others." Drax told him.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" His question went unanswered as the others had already started their trek in search of Space Mountain.

As they stood in front of said rollercoaster some time later, they found themselves in the same predicament as that morning. Only this time Rocket was being denied entrance due to his height.

"Listen up here asshole, I am going on that ride," he pulled out his blaster before he added, "and you can't stop me. Oh are you scared? Ah boohoo"

The poor man stood in fear as he called for a higher ranked co-worker. Gamora managed to take the blaster from Rocket as the scared man in front of them was joined by a co-worker. Said co-worker explained that they were guests of Tony Stark and Rocket was allowed on the rollercoaster.

In hindsight, it might have been better if Rocket hadn't been allowed on the ride, the minimum height was devised for a reason right? As it turned out; Rocket had nearly fallen out, holding onto Groot, in fear, for the entire ride.

"Peter?"

"Yes?"

"Yes?" It sounded simultaneously as both Peter's turned toward Gamora. "Right...young Peter, where do you want to go next?"

Peter contemplated this for a second. "How about The Tower of Terror?"

"I am Groot."

"You and your obsession with blood...I don't think it's a haunted house though." Rocket told the intrigued Groot.

"No it's a free fall, it's awesome!" Came Peter's reply, beaming with excitement.

"A what?" Quill asked in confusion. "You'll see, let's go!" Peter said, already walking away in search of their next ride.

* * *

"That was...–" Drax rubbed his face as he tried to come up with the correct way to describe their last ride.

"Terrifying?" Rocket answered for him. As it turned out Rocket was not a fan of what terrans called a free fall. He'd been lifted from his seat entirely and Groot had to grab ahold of him and pull him back onto the bench while they continued to plummet toward the ground.

"No amazing! Let's go again!" Drax exclaimed as he discussed the experience with Peter.

"No, no way, absolutely not." Rocket said firmly. "Oh come on, it's fun!" Peter tried to convince him as he was bouncing from one foot to the other, a bundle of joy.

"I am Groot."

"See, even Groot wants to go again." Rocket was confused for two reasons. One: when had this nervous and shy kid turned into this disgusting and annoying bubble of energy and two: since when did he understand what Groot was saying?

"Now Rocket would you like me to show this adorable picture of you with this 6 year old boy to Tony Stark and all the other Avengers?" Gamora teased Rocket, whose grumbled reply sounded something along the lines of "manipulative bitch." as they re-entered the line for the Tower of Terror.

Peter had now completely come out of his shell and was currently rambling about a failed experiment in the lab to Drax, who listened intently and would laugh occasionally. Groot was also listening and would answer with a satisfied "I am Groot." every once in a while. Gamora smiled at the teen affectionately.

Tony had warned her beforehand that the kid had a certain way of crawling his way into your heart and as it turned out, the billionaire had been right.

Their fast lane passes granted them another quick entrance to the tower and within minutes they found themselves sitting inside the elevator again, strapped in as it moved to the first floor.

"Let's go again they said, it'll be fun they said...bunch of assholes..." As it turned out, Rocket was still not a fan of the Tower of Terror and was now exiting the elevator with an angry scowl as he mumbled to himself.

"Peter?"

"Yes?"

"Yes?" Gamora was once again met with two simultaneous 'yeses' as both Peter's turned toward her.

"That's it, we are figuring this name thing out right now. Quill you will be called Quill for the remainder of the weekend and you," Gamora pointed her finger at Peter Parker as she said this," will be Peter."

"What? I'm _way_ older than him _,_ therefore, _I_ should have the privilege of being called by my first name, thank you very much." Quill protested.

Gamora, unimpressed by his outburst, quirked up an eyebrow at him. "Really, you're going to deny a 15 year old to be called by his first name?" Quill opened his mouth to protest, but one glance at her stern expression had him backing down. "Yeah didn't think so."

* * *

Tony was currently in his second meeting of the day when his phone buzzed with an incoming text, a video attached. The video showed Peter laughing at Drax's attempt at a whack a mole game. He kept trying to explain how the game worked, but Drax wouldn't have any of it and kept slamming the hammer down on the machine, even when there weren't any mole heads appearing.

Most people could be seen fleeing from the arcade, terrified by Drax's loud screams every time he slammed the hammer down.

His phone buzzed again as he received a photo as well. The photo showed a grinning Peter with a giant plush raccoon, which he'd won himself. Rocket could be seen in the background, glaring at his prize disapprovingly.

_You were right, he's a good kid, a mini Stark as Rocket calls him.–Gamora_

Tony couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as he read Peter's nickname. _Mini Stark._ Somehow that filled his heart with pride. He couldn't wait for the meetings to be over and to be able to show his kid around Malibu. That's right; _His kid._


	6. Motorcycle fun and helmet hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of the third chapter. If you haven't read that one yet, I recommend that you do.

**_Previously in the 3rd chapter;_ **

_All week after Peter had sprayed his mentor's face in web fluid he'd been expecting him to either yell at him, scold him of prank him back but neither of those had happened. Tony had been very calm all weekend as if nothing had happened. At first he thought he might have taken things a bit too far, until he'd seen a picture of Tony on the fridge saturday morning, face covered in web fluid._

_Peter pushed the school door open all the while listening to Ned's rambling about his new lego set that he wanted to build with him next weekend. He nodded along as he searched the school grounds for Happy's car. His stomach dropped, however, when his eyes landed upon a familiar face, waving at him enthusiastically._

_In between waves he was taking pictures with some of his fellow classmates and answering their questions politely._

_In that moment he knew why Tony had been acting as if nothing had happened, he was waiting for the right moment to get back at him, which was now. If he could he would sink through the floor, maybe he could ask Doctor Strange to teach him about creating and disappearing through one of those portals?_

_"Dude...is that–" Ned stopped mid question as he gaped at his idol standing mere feet away from him._

_"Yep that is Captain America picking me up on his freaking motorcycle..."_

_Please kill me now..._

* * *

"Dude you get to ride on the back of Captain America's Harley, why are you _not_ jumping with joy right now?" Ned asked him while he still eyed his idol, well second idol after Tony Stark that is, with that wonderstruck expression which was the reason for Peter not letting him accompany him to the Tower and introducing him to the Avengers.

Peter was not excited about this for a couple of reasons. One being the fact that he was yet again being picked up by an Avenger for all of his classmates to witness, giving Flash even more ammo to bully him with _and_ it would inevitably lead to more questions.

Questions he can't answer truthfully without exposing him for the superhero he is.

The second reason why he's not excited is the fact that every time he got picked up by an Avenger, they embarrassed him in front of _everyone_.

Now he knows Steve is not the type of guy to do this on purpose, per se, but Steve is well...Steve. Genuinely a nice guy who doesn't necessarily _know_ he's embarrassing him when he asks if school was 'swell'...,yeah poor guy still has a lot to learn.

The third and final reason? He's never ridden on the back of a motorcycle before and truth be told; he is terrified.

"Because now everyone will want to know why Captain America is picking me up from school ooh and I've never been on a motorcycle before and I was hoping I'd never have to!" Peter's voice rose a few octaves as he exclaimed the last part about him having to be on a Harley.

Ned quirked up an eyebrow. "What? A motorcycle is awesome dude! Especially when you get to ride on it with none other than Captain America! Your are so lucky, you are gonna love it, trust me!"

Now it was Peter's turn to fix his best friend with a confused expression. "How would you know, have you ever been on one?"

"Well no...but–" Ned was cut off by Steve yelling Peter's name. He was probably wondering why he hadn't made his way over to him yet as he'd waved at him before, signalling where he was waiting for him.

Peter sighed in defeat, shoulders slumped, as the small crowd surrounding the Avenger now focussed on him. He was sure the questions would follow soon.

Why they were still in awe every time an Avenger picked him up was a mystery to him, surely they ought to be used to it by now right? He knows the Avengers, they know him what more is there to it? Wrong.

 _You know Captain America as well?_ This was the first question directed at him, he ignored it though. "Hey Steve." Peter finally addressed the man leaning against his motorcycle.

"Hey kid how...oh! I Know you," He converted his gaze toward Ned as he noticed him for the first time, "you must be Peter's best friend, Ned right?" Collective gasps sounded all around.

Ned faced him, mouth agape, struggling to form words or will his body to move as Steve extended his hand at him.

"Uhm...yes...that's uh...I...I'm Ned...mr. Captain...Rogers...America...sir" Ned struggled to form a coherent sentence as he nervously shook Steve's hand.

Steve smiled at him kindly. "I've heard a lot of great things about you, it's nice to finally meet you." Ned nearly fainted right then and there. He looked at Peter, mouth hanging open once again.

"You...you've...you've heard about me? Captain America heard about me... _ME!_ Can you believe that Peter?!" Peter chuckled at his best friend's reaction. "I know cause I told them about you, you are my best friend remember?" Peter paused for a moment before turning his attention to Steve. "Speaking of Ned, I was thinking about riding with him on the subway and find my own way to the Tower from there."

Steve quirked up an eyebrow before his lips twitched into a smirk. "Tony said you might try something like this, which is why he gave me clear instructions not to take no for an answer, you're riding with me kid. Besides, this gives you time to help me out with a certain matter...or well someone...I–" Peter plowed over him as he said this, all fear of catching a ride on a motorcycle forgotten instantly.

"You're finally going to ask Nat out?!" At this point Peter had completely forgotten that they still had an audience.

His fellow classmates were still baffled by the fact that he not only knew Captain America but he also gave him dating advice? They had no idea of the extent of his realtionship with the Avengers, none at all, until now.

Lucky for him, Flash wasn't around at the moment, for he was certain the bully would've never let this slide.

Steve scratched the back of his neck awkwardly a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "Let's talk about it at home shall we?" He handed him his spair helmet, unaware of the fact that he'd just referred to Stark Tower as home, not just as his but Peter's as well.

Peter quickly accepted the protective headgear as he _was_ aware of Steve's little 'slip up'. _Shit...we have to get out of here before the questions start up again...– "_ Okay let's go." He mumbled reluctantly as he took a seat behind Steve, placing his feet on the footrests.

"It was nice meeting you Ned." Steve said as he too put on his helmet and put his bike in gear.

"Likewise...Captain...mr. Rogers...sir." Ned was still a nervous mess. Steve flashed him another kind smile before telling him to call him Steve. With that said, Peter waved goodbye as they drove off.

* * *

"Slow down! Slow down _please..._ Oh god I'm gonna die!" Steve laughed out loud and with Peter's enhanced hearing he picked it up easily over the sound of the wind rushing past them.

"How is this funny?! God if May finds out about this...she'll kill you _and_ Mr. Stark!" Peter screamed over the sound of the wind. His only response was another laugh. "Just relax kid, enjoy it."

"Easy for you to say, you weren't forced into this...Mr. Stark is so going to pay for this..."

Steve could feel the tension in Peter's hands, holding onto his sides. They would squeeze him every so often when he sped up, holding onto him for dear life. The first few minutes, he really was terrified. As he slowly got used to the feeling though, he started to relax.

Peter's screams of anguish seized up, which was a relief to Steve's own sensitive hearing.

His heartbeat slowed down to a normal rhythm, the tension slipped out of his muscles and a small smile appeared on his lips. He suddenly felt free, without a care in the world, which is kind of the point of riding a motorcycle.

The next scream Steve heard out of Peter was one of ecstasy.

Upon arrival at the tower, Peter was trembling with adrenaline, a huge smile plastered on his face as he took off his helmet.

"You were right that was...amazing! I never want to take the car again! That adrenaline rush is just as amazing as swinging around New York! Can you teach me how to drive? I–" Steve chuckled as he cut off Peter's incessant rambling. "Slow down kid. I don't think Tony would appreciate it if I taught you how to drive a motorcycle,–" he sighed as he looked into those big brown eyes, now filled with disappointment, "no promises but I will talk to him about it alright?"

"Yes! You're the best Steve!" Steve was taken by surprise when he felt Peter's arms around his waist but was quick to respond to the teen's hug. One arm moved around his back and he rested one hand on top of Peter's head, ruffling his hair a bit.

"Now," Peter pulled himself away from Steve, "let's talk about you and Nat." Steve groaned in response.

* * *

Tony lounged on the couch in the living quarters of Stark Tower, reading some documents on his tablet when the elevator dinged, signalling its arrival. Steve and Peter stepped into the living room. A smirk appeared on Tony's face when he noticed the teen. He put his tablet down and stood up from the couch.

"How was the ride to the tower?" He asked with a twinkle of amusement flashing through his eyes, hoping the teen had hated it. Peter opened his mouth to respond to his mentor with honesty.

He was aware that Tony was bating him, since this had been payback for him spraying webfluid all over his face but Tony's plan had failed.

Yes he had hated it but only for a couple of minutes and he was about to tell him this when Tony started laughing. He frowned before asking, "What's so funny?" This only resulted in more laughter.

"Sorry...helmet hair does _not_ suit you kid." Tony said in between chuckles as he pointed at the now flat mop of curls on the teens head. "You know what, the ride was great thank you very much and my hair wouldn't look this way if it weren't for you..I'm going to start on my homework." Came Peter's grumbled reply before he slung his backpack over his shoulder and made his way toward his room. When he thought he was out of Tony's sight, he attempted to fix the mop of hair on his head.

Tony turned to Steve, still smirking. "Tell me, how terrified was he really?"

"He actually enjoyed it..., you know how you mentioned you wanted to buy a car for Peter's 16th birthday?" Tony fixed him with a confused glare before responding, "Yeah, why?"

"Well I think you might want to change it to a motorcycle, maybe a nice Kawasaki Vulcan S, I think he'll love it. I can teach him how to drive." Steve answered him as he clapped Tony on the shoulder, an evil smirk on his lips, before making his way to the kitchen, Tony hot on his heels.

"What are you talking about? Steve? Steve! He was supposed to hate it remember, you told me he would! Steve answer me," he followed his friend into the kitchen before he added, "and what do you mean _you_ can teach him how to drive?"

* * *


	7. Emergency contact

Peter rather heard than felt the snap of a bone breaking upon impact. PE wasn't Peter's favorite class to begin with, he was even more Flash's target than he was throughout the rest of the day.

Before he had his powers he wasn't very athletic and now that he does have his powers, he can't show his true abilities unless he wants his fellow peers to get suspicious, thus the reason for his dislike towards the class.

This day their teacher had set up a circuit for them which consisted of 8 stations. One of which, the one Peter had been on when it'd gone wrong, was rope climbing.

He'd been nearly at the top of the rope, climbing much slower than he normally would if there weren't any people around, when Flash had decided to 'accidentally' shoot his soccer ball at his head. Flash had been at a different station, one where you could practice ball handling skills with either a soccer ball or a basketball.

Now normally one would have landed safely on the mats below but due to a few factors, Peter didn't have such luck. The ball had hit him in the head, quite hard since it been travelling at high speed and Peter's reaction had been like any other student; to let go of the rope instantly.

Yes his Spidey-sense had alerted him of the incoming object, the hairs on his neck rising the moment Flash had kicked the ball, but he couldn't show his reflexes now could he? Not if he wanted everyone to find out that he was in fact their friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Add to it the fact that he'd been climbing the rope at the far end and that he was nearly at the top, Peter had fallen toward the ground fast, the upper half of his body hitting the ground _next_ to the mat.

The moment he hit the ground he was instantly surrounded by a myriad of classmates, Ned at his side. At first his vision was a bit blurry and there was a slight ringing in his ears which caused Ned's concerned questions to pass him by.

After a couple of seconds his vision cleared and the ringing subsided and he felt confident enough to sit up. "Wow dude slow down." Ned told him as he gently pushed him back down.

Peter was confused to say the least, why couldn't he sit up and why was there something dripping on his head? His hand reached up to wipe the wetness off his face, where was that coming from? He was surprised to see his hand coming back red, blood on his fingers. Apparently he'd hit his head, when that had happened though was a mystery to him at the moment.

"Peter?" Mr. Wilson, their PE teacher, had wormed his way through the crowd of students and was now hovering over him as well. He called his name two more times before Peter's eyes sluggishly looked up at him. He blinked a few times and attempted to sit up once more, this time he had help.

Both Mr. Wilson and Ned supported him as he moved into a sitting position. "Easy there Peter, you took quite a fall." Peter wanted to tell them that he was fine, that it was probably just a scratch and that he wasn't hurt anywhere else. That was until a sharp pain shot through his right wrist when he placed his hand on the ground, he winced as he remembered hearing a snapping sound when he'd hit the ground.

He hadn't paid much attention to it then since he'd been disoriented and he'd felt no pain, until now. Peter's wince hadn't gone unnoticed by his teacher seeing as he felt two gentle hands grab ahold of his wrist to examine it.

For the first time he looked at his outstretched limb and in that moment he knew he was screwed. It was already showing signs of swelling and it was turning a nice shade of purple. He was horrified to see that the bones in his wrist were uneven and at a wrong angle, definitely broken.

"Betty get me a cold compress and two towels from the nurse's office, Ned I need you to hold his wrist like this to keep it immobile while I call his emergency contact." Betty jumped at his orders and ran out of the gym while Ned took Mr. Wilson's place next to his best friend.

Upon hearing his teacher's words, Peter panicked slightly. "No there's no need to call aunt May, she's at work." His aunt had been working double shifts these past few days and he didn't want to disturb her and have her miss hours.

Mr. Wilson frowned as he addressed his injured student. "Peter your wrist is broken and you have a possible concussion, you need to go to the hospital, I'm obliged to call her." Peter sighed in defeat, but his teacher had already left to make the phone call.

Flash had been odly quiet throughout the entire ordeal, standing a few feet away from him, scowl on his face. At first he'd felt some remorse when Peter fell to the ground but it was soon replaced by anger. He'd let go of the rope, probably to get the attention, the ball couldn't have hit him that hard.

Deciding that he'd had enough he made his way toward the boy. "Can't even hold onto a simple rope can you Penis? That ball didn't even hit you that hard, you let go on your own to get the attention didn't you? You're even more pathetic than I thought. You definitely deserve the broken arm." Both Ned and Peter opened their mouths to reply but what happened next shocked everyone.

A voice sounded through the gymnasium, a voice which didn't belong to his PE teacher nor to his aunt May. It was the voice of Tony Stark and boy did he sound pissed.

"So you're the reason I got called out of a meeting saying that Peter's been hurt in gym class?!. "

Flash idolized Tony Stark, everyone knew that but he'd never imagined meeting the man under such circumstances, being yelled at and finding himself nose to nose with a very large man whom he'd never seen before in his life, Happy Hogan.

Peter stilled the moment he heard Tony's voice. What was he doing here and better yet why had Mr. Wilson called _him?_ His gaze focussed on the billionaire as he threatened Flash. He hadn't even noticed Betty returning and pressing a towel to his head to rid of the blood or Ned holding an ice pack to his wrist.

"You bet your ass I'll be having a nice little chat with Morita concerning your suspension and if I ever and I mean _ever_ see you near Peter again I'll make sure that no college will ever accept you." That's what Peter picked up of Tony's one sided conversation with Flash.

Ned snorted at Flash's frightened expression and Peter couldn't help the smile forming on his lips as well, he looked as if he was about to shit himself.

Their joy was shortlived as Tony's attention was now on him. The man knelt in front of him, eyes softer than he'd ever seen them before, filled with concern. "Hey kid, let's get you out of here shall we? We'll have Bruce take a look at you. Happy bring the car around will you?"

"Sure thing Tony." Happy replied as he squeezed Peter's shoulder before leaving to get the car ready.

"Tony?"

"That's me, billionaire, superhero, I thought we'd established that already?" The fact that he'd called him Tony for the very first time was both a relief and and scary to the man. The kid was too polite and would always call him Mr. Stark even after he'd told him to call him Tony a number of times. _He must have hit his head pretty hard._

"No why...what are you doing here...how..why does my school have your number?" This was a question his fellow classmates wanted answered as well. Everyone had gasped upon hearing and seeing Tony Stark enter the gym, not understanding what the man was doing there at their school, picking up Peter.

Everyone knew he had an internship at Stark Industries, well those who believed Peter's stories that is but why would the man be picking up an intern?

Ever since a couple of Avengers had come to their school to pick up Peter, there had been no doubt about the existence of this internship anymore but the extent of his relationship was still unclear and the billionaire himself showing up only caused more questions to arise.

There were rumors going around the school that he actually lived at Stark Tower and that Tony was his adoptive father, those rumors would sure be fed more fuel after this day. If only they knew how much truth there was in them.

As Tony wanted to answer him, his phone buzzed with an incoming text from Happy. He quickly read it before pocketing the device again. "That's was Happy, he's waiting for us, Ned could you help me getting him up?" Ned nearly fainted himself upon hearing Tony say his name, his real name this time. Last time he'd met the man he kept calling him Fred.

"Uuuh sure thing Mr... Mr. Stark." He composed himself and grabbed ahold of one of Peter's arms while Tony grabbed his other and together they helped him stand up. Peter swayed a bit once he was upright, but Tony steadied him.

The bloodied towel had fallen to the ground once Peter stood up but Tony was relieved to see that his head had stopped bleeding, a small gash was visible on his temple which Bruce should be able to fix up easily.

Tony thanked Mr. Wilson before he placed his hand between Peter's shoulders as he gently started to lead him toward the school's exit.

When they started to walk away, Tony could hear Mr. Wilson speaking loudly. "That's it, class is over for today, Flash you're coming with me, RIGHT NOW!" Tony smirked in satisfaction.

* * *

"Why's the kid pouting, you said he should be fine right?" Steve asked Tony as he glanced at the teen sitting on the examining table in the Tower's medical wing, picking at this sling which held his arm, now covered in a blue cast. The cast ran all the way up to his upper arm.

Both Bruce and Tony chuckled at the man's question. "Oh he's going to be fine, he's pouting because he has to wear the cast for 6 weeks instead of the week and a half it takes for his arm to heal. "

"Yeah we don't need anyone asking more questions as it is." Bruce added.

Steve smiles in sympathy for the kid. He knows what it's like to have enhanced healing but it's a well known fact that he's Captain America and since Peter wants to keep his identity a secret, people can't know about his fast healing.

Tony would be lying if he said he hadn't been worried for Peter, seeing him, face covered in blood and his wrist at an unnatural angle had been a sight no 'parent' ever wants to see. The phone call with his aunt May hadn't been any better but in the end he'd managed to convince her to stay at the hospital and finish her shift.

Bruce had stitched up the small gash on his head and established that the kid had a small concussion as well.

His wrist was broken in 3 places and had to be set. This had been the worst experience for both Peter _and_ Tony. Due to his metabolism, painkillers don't work on him. Steve, knowing what it's like to go through bones being broken again without any pain relief, opted to stay with him.

He held him down, as gently as possible, while Bruce worked on his wrist. The kid's cries would surely haunt the Avengers for days. Tear streaks were still visible on Peter's cheeks and it broke their hearts.

It was no secret that Peter had crawled his way into the heart of every single Avenger, even Sam and Bucky's.

Peter was pulled out of his moping when a juice box fell into his lap, he eyed it disapprovingly before looking up at his mentor. "Sam knows I'm not an _actual_ kid right?" Peter lamented, scowling as Tony laughed at him.

"He knows, doesn't stop him from reminding you of your young age though."

Peter grumbled in response as he handed the juice box to Tony. "I know you're in a bad mood but you could actually use some fluids kid." Came Tony's reply.

"I know but I can't open it with one hand now can I?"

"Wow you're grumpy, sure you don't need to take a nap?" Tony chuckled and held up his hands in defense at Peter's murderous glare. "Not funny I get it." He said as he put the straw in the juice box and handed it back to Peter.

They sat in silence for a moment as Peter drank his orange juice. After a few minutes Peter spoke up. "Mr. Stark?" Tony huffed in response. "Back to calling me Mr. Stark already? I thought we had finally gotten somewhere today, you calling me Tony and all."

Peter sighed. "Fine, Tony...,–" it felt weird calling him that, like he wasn't being polite with his mentor, " can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing kid."

"Why did my teacher call you instead of aunt May? Why do they have your number?"

Tony knew this question was coming. "That's cause I'm your second emergency contact."

"What...why...how?" Peter stumbled with his words as Tony stated this as if it were nothing. "Your aunt May asked me a couple of months ago, I filled out some forms, no big deal."

"No big deal?! But you were called out of a meeting...for me..."

"If Tony hadn't been able to leave the meeting any of us would have driven to your school in record time, maybe even broken some laws in the process." Nat stated as the other Avengers entered the room.

Sam smirked at him when he noticed him holding the juice box, he loved making fun of the kid's age, while Bucky greeted him with a simple nod.

Steve and Bruce stood on either side of Natasha. "Like it or not, you're family kid." Steve said. Tony clapped him on the shoulder before sharing a glance with the rest of the group. "Now let's talk about this bully of yours." Peter groaned in response.

He loved and hated being part of the Avengers family and secretly he was flattered that Tony would go through all this trouble and that he was apparently his new emergency contact and he might even fear for Flash's life, just a little though.


	8. Secret driving lesson

Peter sat in his room in Stark Tower, working on his English essay, which wasn't due for another week, but he couldn't help but work ahead. It wasn't that hard an assignment which gave him all the more reason to finish it now instead of pushing it off until the very last minute, plus he'd finished all of his other assignments for the upcoming week.

More homework finished also meant more time to go out as Spider-Man and not getting in _that_ much trouble if he did return around 2 am every now and then. Even though he was spending the weekend with Tony, the man was also very strict about him finishing his schoolwork before he was allowed in the lab; another motivator.

He was in the middle of writing a sentence when F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice sounded through his room. "Sorry to interrupt Peter but Steve is requesting your presence in the living room." Peter's head shot up; eyebrows furrowed, and confusion written across his face. Tony wasn't home at the moment, stuck in a meeting for another couple of hours, hence Peter's confusion.

"Huh wonder why Steve needs me." The teen mumbled to himself as he dropped the pen on his desk before he got up from his chair and made his way toward the elevator. He didn't need to press the button for the floor in question seeing as the AI knew where he needed to go, the elevator already in motion.

Upon arriving, Steve immediately greeted him with a kind smile; "ah Peter there you are!"

"Hey Steve, you asked for me?" Peter asked the man as he sat down on the couch, Steve in tow. The man smiled even wider, kind of creeping him out at the moment. It wasn't that common for the man to be this upbeat, not that he was a surly guy, but he _was_ serious most of the time.

"I have a surprise for you, but you can't tell Tony." Peter's eyebrows shot up, slight fear flashing through his eyes, he didn't like keeping secrets from his mentor. Steve chuckled at the kid's reaction. "Don't worry. Normally I wouldn't be asking you to keep secrets from the man, but it is to protect _me_ for the time being, until I figure out a way to tell him, –"

"Figure out a way to tell him _what_ exactly?" Peter questioned him, still feeling a bit uneasy.

"Well since your 16th birthday is coming up and you asked me to, I was thinking of teaching you how to drive a motorcycle." He took in Peter's reaction for a moment. Eyes wide, mouth slightly agape and then he jumped up from the couch and started rambling.

"What are you serious? This is so cool! Will I get to drive your motorcycle? Wait I don't even have a helmet I should probably have one, right?" He cut off his own rambling for a moment as another question came to him. "Wait, why do we have to keep this a secret from Mr. Stark?"

Steve scratched the back of his head as he looked uneasy for a moment. "Well Tony wanted to teach you how to drive a car and if he finds out that I've been teaching you how to drive a motorcycle instead, behind his back none the less, he'll kill me."

Peter shrugged, not seeing the problem. "But he can still teach me how to drive a car, it's a different type of vehicle I don't see why he would be angry."

Steve quirked up an eyebrow. "I'm stealing his _dad_ moment from him and before you start protesting, he cares about those very much."

"Well when you put it like that…, maybe we shouldn't tell him." Peter couldn't help it when his heart skipped a beat at the mention of how much Tony cared for those _moments_ but at the same time, he didn't feel guilty either, Steve was teaching him how to drive a motorcycle!

"Good, let's get started, shall we?" Steve guided him to the elevator which took them down to the garage.

Upon arriving Peter stepped out and started looking around the garage. Steve, knowing what he was looking for, couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. "You won't be driving my Harley kid, nice try though."

Peter's face fell for a moment and Steve nearly wanted to give in to those sad eyes right then and there, but he didn't. He ushered him to follow him as he made his way to the other side of the garage. There stood a black, green and white naked bike.

"This is a Kawasaki Z650, it's best suited for starters as yourself. I borrowed it from a friend of mine until you can get your own." Steve explained as Peter eyed the vehicle.

He had to admit; it was a pretty awesome motorcycle but he didn't see how he would be getting one for himself anytime soon, he couldn't ask May for money since there was no way they could afford a motorcycle _or_ a car at the moment but he opted not to tell Steve this.

Thoughts pushed aside, he watched Steve as he stepped on and turned the vehicle on. He handed him a helmet before telling him to get on the back of the bike. Without further ado, he sat down behind him as they drove off, no idea where to.

They drove for a couple of minutes before entering a large and mostly empty parking garage, perfect terrain to learn how to ride.

Steve put the motorcycle in neutral before turning it off as they both stepped off the vehicle. He immediately turned the key again, watching the display come to life once more.

Peter took off his helmet as Steve started explaining all the specs of the bike and how to work it. "These are the handlebars, the left one is your clutch, it's what you use to switch gears and the right one is your front brake and your throttle." Peter nodded along in understanding as he moved on.

"This button is your blinker. If you slide it to the right, your right blinker turns on and vice versa." As he said this, he pushed the button to the right and showed him how the blinker turned on, on the display.

"If you press it, the blinker will turn off. It doesn't work the same as in a car, where it automatically turns off after every turn you take. Here you have to switch it off manually every time." Peter pressed it and watched how the green blinking arrow disappeared from the screen.

He quickly went through the otter buttons on the handlebars, such as the horn, the lights and the emergency switch, until he was left with only one, the ignition.

"Now Peter, sit down and get a feel for the weight, which with your superhuman strength shouldn't be a problem, it's only 400 pounds." Peter hesitantly sat down, planting both feet on the ground as he slowly grabbed ahold of the handlebars and moved the motorcycle in an upright position.

At first, he was surprised by the weight of the vehicle and thought he might actually fall over, but he was quick to recover and managed to keep standing. "That's great now push in the stand with your foot."

Once the stand was in, Steve continued. "Look down on your left side, you see a step and a little black lever in front of it, correct?" Peter did as he was told and nodded his head upon finding it.

"Good, this is the step for your foot to rest on and that's your gear switcher. You place your foot beneath it and push up if you want to switch to a higher gear and you push down on it for a lower gear. On the right side you see another step for your right foot with another lever, this is the rear brake."

"Okay got it, what's next?" Peter was eager to get driving.

"Squeeze in the clutch before starting the bike, _always_." The teen squeezed in the clutch, as he was told before Steve had him press the ignition button to start the motorcycle. As he pressed down on it, the bike roared to life and a smile spread on Peter's lips.

* * *

The next half hour of Steve attempting to teach Peter how to drive away in first gear and get to a stop, were spent yelling. Since the kid had never driven a car before, a stick shift that is, he had no idea how to drive away, using the clutch and the throttle.

It had ended in the same result, on a loop; Peter driving off, letting go of the clutch too soon without applying throttle, and the bike's engine turning off. Luckily Peter hadn't toppled off the bike yet and Steve wanted to keep it that way. It would be difficult enough to explain to the billionaire where he had taken the kid, let alone if he brought him back with cuts and bruises as well.

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as he watched the engine switching off for the umpteenth time, Peter only just able to plant both feet on the ground to stop the bike from falling over and taking himself with it. "Dammit!"

He wanted to scold the kid on the profanity leaving his mouth, but he decided against it. Seeing as the teen was already aware of his 'slip up' during the Ultron crisis, there was no need to embarrass himself in _front_ ofthe kid as well.

"Like I said; slowly apply throttle as you let go off the clutch, _gently._ "

"That's what I've _been_ doing for the past 30 minutes, are you sure that's how you do it?" Steve quirked up an eyebrow at the kid's question as if he didn't know how to work a motorcycle.

After another 5 failed attempts, Peter was finally able to drive away, without the engine turning off. "YES! Are you seeing this Steve? I'm doing it!" Steve chuckled at the kid's enthusiasm.

"That's great now hit the brakes and come to a stop, slowly." Peter did as he was told, and Steve joined his side once he came to a stop.

"That's great Peter, now we're going to try this again but after you let go of the clutch entirely, you apply a little more throttle to speed up a bit. Once you hit 15 m/h, close the throttle in one fluid motion, squeeze the clutch and switch to the second gear. Once you're in the second gear you let go of the clutch again, gently and slowly apply throttle again." Peter took in this new information before giving it a go.

The next hour Peter actually managed to do as Steve said. He managed to switch to higher and lower gears and come to a smooth stop. Just as Peter wanted to start driving again, his phone rang. He took off his helmet as he retrieved his phone from his pocket to check the caller ID.

He started freaking out as he saw the name on his screen, _Tony Stark._ "What do I do? Mr. Stark is calling me, what should I say, should I answer? No he can't know you're teaching me how to drive right?"

"Peter just answer the phone, – "As he said this, the teen had already pressed 'ignore'. "Why did you do that?!" Though Steve would never admit this out loud; he was also slightly freaking out at the moment.

"I don't know! You said we couldn't tell him about my driving lessons, and you know how bad I am at lying!" Peter's voice rose a few octaves as he answered the man, throwing his arms up in the air as he spoke.

Not for the first time that day Steve pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to keep calm. "There are two people in this world who you _don't_ send to voicemail. One of them is Tony Stark and the other, well it doesn't apply to _you_ yet _,_ but that's Nick Fury…" He ushered Peter off the motorcycle as he sat down on the vehicle himself. "Let's head back to the Tower."

* * *

When they entered the garage, they were immediately greeted by a very angry looking Tony Stark, who stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He took off his glasses as Steve parked the motorcycle and walked up to the duo.

"Care to explain where you two have been?" His gaze landed on Steve as he asked this.

Steve glanced at the man intently before answering. "Why do I get the feeling you already know the answer to that question?" Tony opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by his AI. "I apologize Mr. Rogers; he overrode my protocols; I had no choice but to tell him of your whereabouts." F.R.I.D.A.Y. sounded apologetic if that was even possible for an AI.

Tony cursed under his breath. "Well I was left with no other option after _you_ ," He pointed his finger at Peter, "dodged my call. Imagine my surprise when FRI told me that Steve was teaching you how to drive."

Peter turned a bright shade of red as he turned toward Steve for assistance. Steve laid his hand on his shoulder before addressing Tony. "It was my idea to teach him how to drive a motorcycle, it's not his fault."

"Oh, I know… Peter go upstairs, the other Avengers are waiting for us to start diner, go join them." He watched the teen head toward the elevator and once he disappeared from their view, Tony turned his attention back to Steve. "We need to have a little chat Rogers."

* * *

"Who knew that Tony was a jealous dad." Clint said while smirking. Nat and Bruce snorted at this comment while Tony was shooting them daggers. "Relax Tony you can still teach him how to drive a car, but Peter tell us, how did it go?" Nat asked the teen.

A smile spread on Peter's face and he sat up straight. "It was amazing! It went great, – "

Steve snorted as he said this, and Peter shot him a glare before he conceded. "Okay it didn't go so _great_ per se, I had some trouble working the clutch and driving away, but in the end, I managed to stay on and drive up to the second gear!"

"How many times did it stall before turning off?" Tony might be enjoying Peter being unsuccessful a _bit_ too much.

"Wipe that smirk off your face Stark, as I recall you weren't that great at driving either." Clint stated as Tony's face fell. He was about to give him a piece of his mind, because how would he know such information, when his AI spoke up. "He is correct sir, as I remember; you were unable to drive a stick shift and were so frustrated by it that you swore off ever driving a manual car again."

The Avengers, Peter included, stifled a laugh as Tony fixed his gaze at the ceiling. "Will you shut up FRI…even my own AI is against me… _again."_

"Maybe Happy might be the better choice to teach me how to drive a car." Peter stated with a smirk. Tony gasped and placed his hand over his heart. "I will disown you." Everyone laughed at the fake threat as Happy entered the room, having heard the last part of the conversation.

"Sounds good kid when do we start?"

Even Tony's death glare didn't stop Peter from laughing. "And to think I was considering buying you a car for your birthday…" Tony smirked as Peter's laughter died down abruptly. "Wait… what? What do you mean you're buying me a car for my birthday?" Tony ignored the kid as he exited the living room. "Mr. Stark!" Peter followed the man. "What do you mean, Mr. Stark?!"

Happy snorted as Peter followed Tony down the hall and spoke up once the sound of his voice had died down. "Yup like father, like son."


	9. A grounded spider in trouble: Part I

"Mr. Stark, please you can't do this." Peter lamented as he followed after his mentor as they entered the tower from the roof. Having just returned from a mission with some of the Avengers.

"I can and I will kid, no Spider-Man suit for the rest of the week. Maybe that'll teach you not to be so damn reckless." Tony pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to cool his anger. "You could have been _killed_ you know that right?" Peter's gaze shifted to the floor, suddenly unable to meet his mentor's eyes. He mumbled, "I was trying to protect you…" under his breath.

"What was that, I didn't quite hear what you were saying?" Peter sighed in defeat as he looked up, repeating his last sentence audibly this time, "I was trying to protect _you._ You had your back turned as one of them was aiming for you."

"And I would have been fine, F.R.I.D.A.Y. would've have warned me in time," he ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "I told you to get back to the jet but did you listen? This was exactly like the day of the ferry incident. I told you to stay out of it, that I would take care of it, and you deliberately disobeyed me and interfered anyway."

Peter could feel some anger rising as Tony reminded him of that day. "And what happened after you took my suit away? I had to fight the Vulture in my onesie and had a building dropped on my face!" Tony poured himself a cup of coffee before turning to Peter again. He took a sip before answering, "this time you'll be entirely safe behind the walls of Stark Tower. You're not patrolling, no fighting bad guys in your hideous onesie."

Tony took another sip as Peter scowled at him. Was he actually grounding him? He was staying at the tower the entire week due to his aunt working overtime and he couldn't spend any moment of it patrolling?

Tony could be so hypocritical sometimes. He wanted him to be part of the Avengers and fight alongside them on missions but gets angry at him when he _does_ and fights those bad guys. He knows he's being unfair; he did plant himself between Tony and one of Hydra's men who shot him with an alien weapon. He was lucky the suit protected him from most damage the weapon could've inflicted upon him. But he still couldn't shake his anger at his suit being taken away, _again._

"This is so unfair!." He eventually said before storming away. Tony followed the teen to his room, not done with the conversation just yet. Peter sat on his bed as he angrily took off his shoes, having changed back into his everyday clothes on the Quinjet. "I know you're angry with me, but I hope you'll learn something from this. Now we have to debrief on the mission back at S.H.I.E.L.D so we won't be back until late at night. When I get back, I expect you to have done your homework and be in bed. Don't even think about sneaking out, Fri will be keeping an eye on you." Tony patted Peter's shoulder before he exited his room, leaving the sulking teenager behind.

"Don't you think you were a bit too hard on the kid?" Steve asked Tony as he entered the living room where the other Avengers were waiting for him. Tony sighed. "He needs to learn that he can't put himself in danger like that…that kid will have turned all of my hair grey even before the end of the year." Bruce clapped his friend on the shoulder. "He's a tough kid Tony and he's completely fine, isn't he?"

The man sighed as his shoulder's slumped a bit. "I know he's fine, but I can't help but worry. What am I supposed to tell his aunt if he _does_ get hurt on my watch? The women will kill me." The others chuckled as Clint spoke up; "you're a total dad Tony." Tony snorted at this comment. "I'm not his dad, I'm merely the kid's mentor."

"You took his suit away and basically grounded him for disobeying your orders, sounds like a dad to me." Clint stated with a smirk.

"Shut it Legolas," he placed his now empty coffee mug in the kitchen sink, "we should probably get going." He didn't wait for any reaction from the others as he was already walking toward the elevator. The other Avengers smirked at each other knowingly at Tony's denial before following after him.

* * *

It was around 10 pm when Peter decided to go to bed, turn in early for a change. It was partially out of boredom and he was tired from their mission that day as well. Already dressed in black sweatpants and a Captain America shirt, not feeling like wearing his Iron Man one for the night, he was about to step into bed when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Alerting him of possible immediate danger.

When he heard the sound of glass breaking, F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke up. "Mr. Parker, it appears as if some men have successfully broken into the tower and disabled the alarm." Peter mumbled a profanity under his breath, "so much for going to bed early, –" he cursed once more as he realized he didn't have his suit. He ran a hand through his hair as slight panic started to arise in the teen.

"Screw this…," he mumbled before fixing his gaze on the ceiling, "Fri could you point me toward their location inside the tower?" Without waiting for a reply from the AI, he was already exiting his room while he scoured the hallway for potential intruders on that floor.

"It appears they are attempting to enter sir's lab. I count 5 of them." The AI's voice sounded through the hallway and Peter sighed. "Have you alerted Tony yet?"

"I'm calling sir and the other Avengers as we speak. Might I recommend waiting for backup?" Peter rolled his eyes, as if he was going to wait for Tony and the others to arrive. By the time they get back, they could already be gone with whatever it is they're looking for.

"No can-do Fri." Peter stated as he ran toward the elevator. He knew he shouldn't show his face to these guys but what other option did he have? Tony had taken his suit _and_ web shooters away and he was pretty sure that Tony had burned his onesie after his fight with the Vulture. It seemed as though he was going to have to fight them the old-fashioned way, with hand to hand combat.

By the time he arrived at the floor in question, they had already broken into Tony's lab. The 5 men were currently thrashing the place while also looking for something, probably an invention of the man.

Peter took a deep breath as he prepared himself for the fight to come. He just hoped the others would get there quickly, seeing as one of the men was carrying the same alien weapon as the Hydra men they'd fought that afternoon.

"Hey fellas, what do you think you're doing exactly?" At the sound of Peter's voice, all of the men turned around before 4 out of the 5 advanced on him quickly. They didn't speak, not to him nor to each other, all wearing ski masks. The 5th, holding the weapon, continued his search.

He took a fighting stance as he blocked the first punch thrown at his head. He answered with one of his own, not holding back on his strength, satisfied when his fist slammed into the guy's face and he went down.

His arms were grabbed from behind in a tight hold the next moment. As he fought the hold one of them had on him, he was unable to deflect the punch directed at his face. He winced at the impact and his head whipped to the side from the force behind it. The second punch landed against his stomach and he doubled over ever so slightly, seeing as his arms were still held behind his back.

Seeing one of the men in front of him prepare himself to throw another punch, he shifted his weight and threw his legs in the air, kicking the guy square in the chest, causing him to stumble back a bit. He threw his head back and was satisfied when he heard a snap upon impact, feeling the grip on his arms loosen he pulled himself out of the man's grip.

* * *

Tony and the other Avengers were in the middle of the debrief with Fury when Tony's phone gave off an alarm. He was quick to fish the device out of his pocket, despite Nick Fury's protests. _Intruder alert, security down._ That's what it said on his screen and his thoughts immediately went to Peter.

He was at the tower, alone, without his suit and his web shooters. "We have to go." He was met by confused expressions and one angry one from Nick Fury. "What the hell do you think you're doing Stark? We're in the middle of a debrief here." Tony's head shot up at this, anger quickly filling him.

"To hell with your debrief, there's been a break in at the tower, we–" Upon hearing this, all the other Avengers shot up from their chairs, worry outlining their faces.

"Peter." Steve stated what everyone else was thinking as well, they had to get back to the kid. Nick Fury, having not been introduced to Peter yet, stopped them. "You can't just walk out of a debrief Stark, who is this Peter anyway."

"None of your business, he's important to us that's all you need to know, we'll finish this later." Tony retorted, already running out of the room, the others in tow. He didn't feel like explaining Peter's identity to the man at the moment. He was aware of Spider-Man and his occasional help with missions but other than that Tony had pretty much kept Fury in the dark. Not wanting to expose his identity yet.

He wasn't sure how Fury would react if he learned of Spider-Man's identity and that it was in fact a 15-year-old kid fighting alongside the Avengers.

They reached the Quinjet in record time as they started their flight back to New York, praying that they would be back in time.

Tony was already talking to F.R.I.D.A.Y, asking about Peter and he was filled with even more anger when he heard that the kid was currently fighting off 5 Hydra men at once, without any form of protection. How the hell they had managed to override his security system successfully was a mystery to him at the moment but he would worry about that later.

He cursed himself for taking the suit from the kid, he thought he'd been doing the right thing and who could've guessed that there would be a break in at the tower now of all times. The kid had deserved having his suit taken from him after the stunt he pulled at today's mission, but it did nothing to rid Tony of his feelings of guilt and anxiety.

Having sensed Tony's guilt, Steve's hand landed on the man's shoulder. "The kid is going to be fine Tony; you can't blame yourself for this." No reply came and the remainder of the flight was spent in silence. Every now and then Bruce had to force himself to calm down in order to prevent the other guy from making an appearance on the jet.

Everyone dreaded their arrival at the tower, afraid of what they might find.

* * *

The fight had been unfair from the start, 5 against one, Peter hadn't liked those odds. Normally he could take them with ease, web them up, but that wasn't the case this time. It also didn't help that they were Hydra and trained well.

At first, he'd been able to gain the upper hand, but at some point during the fight he'd forgotten that there had initially been 5 of them instead of the 4 he was trying to take down. The shot had come out of nowhere, blasting him in the stomach and he'd been thrown back by the force of it.

The leader had shot him with their piece of alien tech and shit did it hurt without his suit to protect him from the blast. His shirt was torn in the place he'd been hit, and his skin around his stomach area was already blistering. The burn was a dark red and even black around the edges.

He'd been thrown through the glass window of Tony's lab and he now lay in the hallway, surrounded by glass pieces covered in blood, _his_ blood. Instinctively he'd thrown his arms up to protect his face, successfully avoiding any injuries to his head. Some pieces of glass had cut into his arms and palms though, which were now bleeding.

Peter winced in pain as he struggled to get back into a standing position. He advanced on the remaining men, seeing as he had been successful to knock two of them unconscious before he'd been shot by the alien gun.

He punched the leader, hard and kicked the weapon from his grip. He was, however, too late to deflect a kick to the ribs and he instantly went down again, losing his balance due to his already weakened state. More kicks were directed at his ribcage and he cried out when a couple of his ribs cracked. At one point he managed to grab onto the man's leg, and he kicked his other leg out from under him, causing him to fall flat onto his back.

His ribs were screaming in pain and he held them protectively as he struggled into a sitting position. He can feel the strength leaving him and his reflexes aren't as quick as they should be. A large hand grabs ahold of the collar of his shirt and he is lifted into the air, back slamming into the wall, feet dangling above the ground as he struggles to get out of the death grip.

The man growls at him angrily and mumbles something in Russian before he is thrown across the lab. His body hit's one of the tables and it is knocked over. He crashes into the ground, headfirst. Upon impacting with the ground, his vision goes white and his ears start to ring. He can feel blood dripping from his forehead and running down the side of his face.

One of the men joins him at his side and a large boot is slammed down on his outstretched hand, crushing the fingers beneath. It is followed by a hard kick to his already bleeding head. Peter screams in pain as his vision darkens, he can feel himself losing his grip on consciousness.

The last thing he hears before succumbing to darkness is the sound of glass breaking and the boots of Tony's Iron Man suit hitting the ground.


	10. A grounded spider in trouble Part II

**Previously on Favorite Place**

_A large hand grabs ahold of the collar of his shirt and he is lifted into the air, back slamming into the wall, feet dangling above the ground as he struggles to get out of the death grip._

_The man growls at him angrily and mumbles something in Russian before he is thrown across the lab. His body hit's one of the tables and it is knocked over. He crashes into the ground, headfirst. Upon impacting with the ground, his vision goes white and his ears start to ring. He can feel blood dripping from his forehead and running down the side of his face._

_One of the men joins him at his side and a large boot is slammed down on his outstretched hand, crushing the fingers beneath. It is followed by a hard kick to his already bleeding head. Peter screams in pain as his vision darkens, he can feel himself losing his grip on consciousness._

_The last thing he hears before succumbing to darkness is the sound of glass breaking and the boots of Tony's Iron Man suit hitting the ground._

* * *

Anxiety had gotten the best of Tony and he'd put on his suit and flown the last couple of miles to the tower while the Avengers followed him on the Quinjet. He crashes through the window of the 54th floor, which holds his lab, worrying about the destroyed window and scattered glass later, more pressing matters at hand. His face plates opens as he spots the teen lying in a crumpled heap on the floor the moment his boots hit the ground.

It feels as if his heart stopped beating for a moment, his chest tightening at the sight of Peter; blood dripping from a multitude of gashes. He wants to rid himself of the suit and rush to the teen's aid, but he knows he can't, not yet at least.

He is fuming with anger as he turns his attention to the intruders, still inside his lab. The one near Peter is the first to be blasted into the wall, courtesy of his repulsor. Just as he's about to address the remaining men, which aren't that many seeing as Peter had done a good job of knocking two of them down, he's joined by the other Avengers.

At the sight of Peter lying unconscious on the ground, they're seeing red, Bruce is about to let the other guy take over. Tony notices and is quick to stop the doctor. "Bruce, I need you to take Peter to the med bay and examine him," he flips his face plate back down, "we'll take care of these guys." Bruce nods his head and rushes to Peter's side. He grimaces at the sight of the teen; covered in blood and bruises. He lets a profanity slip between gritted teeth as he spots the large burn across Peter's stomach.

Closing himself off from the ongoing fight behind him, he's quick to gather the teen in his arms as gently as possible. He jogs toward the elevator, F.R.I.D.A.Y. operating it for him as the AI knows where he's headed. "Thanks Fri." He says as he exits the elevator and quickly makes his way toward the med bay, laying Peter down on the first bed in sight.

He realizes Tony must have alerted Helen Cho of their arrival as he is joined by her within a minute of his arrival. The two greet each other with a nod, knowing the task at hand. Pair of medical scissors in hand, he cuts away the teen's shirt, discarding the destroyed piece of fabric onto the ground. Helen meets his gaze as Peter's chest is exposed, large blue and purple bruises dotting the skin around the ribs on the left side of his chest. Bruce runs a hand through his hair as he attempts to figure out where to start. Seeing as the teen's arms are still bleeding, he decides to deal with those cuts first while Helen readies the X-ray machine.

* * *

"Stark I still don't see how these men are connected to today's mission." Nick Fury told the irritated Tony, who was currently pacing the floor of his lab after having defeated and contained the 5 intruders. Seeing as they were Hydra, Nick Fury had been called to the scene to take them into custody at S.H.I.E.L.D.

Natasha and Clint were currently guarding the men who sat in a line against the wall, all tied up. Steve stood at Tony's side, clad in civilian clothes, shield on his right arm. Seeing as they had all been dressed in their regular clothes during the debrief and Peter's life had been at stake, there had been no time to suit up.

"They had the same weapon as those men we fought earlier today," he ran a hand through his hair as he was getting more frustrated by the minute. "just take them into custody and we'll debrief tomorrow. I have somewhere to be." Tony stated, his voice not as steady as he wanted it to be.

Fury frowned at the man in front of him. The ever-confident Tony Stark; reduced to a nervous wreck. Eyes wide with fear and hands trembling with an oncoming anxiety attack. "This is about that Peter isn't it?" Steve's hand lands on Tony's shoulder, squeezing gently as he turns his attention to their boss. "Yes, it is but the situation is complicated at the moment and that's all we can let you know at this point." Steve stated, receiving a small smile from Tony.

"Fine, go, we'll discuss this later." Steve thanked him as Tony had already made his way toward the elevator, heart beating so fast it actually hurt. _"please let him be okay, please let him be okay"_ Those were the only words going through his head at the moment. Once the elevator doors closed him inside, he leaned his head against the wall mirror as he attempted to even out his breathing.

His hands were trembling so bad, he couldn't even have pressed the button for the med bay's floor even if he wanted to. Luckily his AI sensed his state of distress and the elevator was already moving up. As the elevator dinged, signaling its arrival, Tony remained in his spot, he couldn't will himself to move.

"I recommend stepping out of the elevator if you want to see how young Mr. Parker is doing sir." He loves his AI; he really does but it's in these moments where he wishes that it would just shut up and let him be. He doesn't know the extent of Peter's injuries; he only knows that he is to blame for them. If it weren't for him taking his suit away, none of this would have happened. He knows this isn't true, those men would have broken in anyway, but he left him at the tower, unprotected and alone.

Had he had his suit, he would have been able to take down those men with ease and probably without breaking a sweat. But 5 against 1, without a suit to protect him or his web shooters to help him…well it had led them to this moment. As Tony's breathing evened out slightly, he willed his body to move, one step at a time.

He focused on his body moving, putting one foot in front of the other as he neared the med bay. Tony stopped in front of the mirror glass wall of the first room. Inside the room Peter lay in a bed, chest and arms covered in bandages, cover pulled over his legs. His heart sank at the sight of the kid…his kid.

Upon noticing his presence, Bruce stepped out of the room and greeted his friend. "He's going to be fine Tony." The billionaire's expression didn't change at these words. He leaned against the wall and let himself slide down into a sitting position on the ground, hands in his hair. "I did this Bruce, he's in there because of me…if I, –" Bruce kneeled down next to him as he cut him off. "This was not your fault Tony, those Hydra man who broke into your lab, they're to blame."

"Still, I was the one to take his suit away."

"With good reason Tony, remember?" Tony didn't meet his gaze and Bruce's shoulders slumped in defeat. The only person who could really relieve him of his guilt was lying unconscious inside the room. He let him be for the moment, seeing as the other Avengers had now arrived as well.

* * *

A gentle nudge, followed by a soft push is what got Tony to move inside Peter's room. He glared at Steve, who simply stepped back and went back to his previous position in front of the mirror wall separating him and the others from Tony and Peter.

3 cracked ribs, 2 broken fingers, a mild concussion, 9 stitches in his head and another 35 stitches used to close the cuts on his arms and hands _and_ a large second and partially third-degree burn covering a large portion of his abdomen, overall; the kid was a mess.

Tony slowly eased himself down in the chair next to Peter's bed, unable to meet his eyes yet. Bruce had informed them a couple of minutes ago that Peter had woken up and was asking for Tony. The man in question didn't want to go inside at first, not ready to face him yet. Steve had been very convincing though, seeing as he had literally pushed him into the room and well… here we are.

He wants to apologize but has no clue where to start. Tony Stark doesn't do apologies, at least he didn't, as in past tense. That was until this kid entered his life, shaking things up and having him question every single one of his believes, wanting to become a better man…well shit Clint was right; he was a total dad.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stark." Tony's head shot up as Peter said this, voice sounding hoarse. He furrowed his brows and looked the kid in his eyes for the first time since entering the room. "What is it exactly you think you're apologizing for?" Peter fumbled a bit with his blanket with his uninjured hand. "For letting them enter the tower and destroying your lab…I, –" Tony held up his hand, cutting him off.

"You have _nothing_ to apologize for you hear me? If anyone should be apologizing it should be _me._ I was wrong to take your suit away," he sat up a bit straighter as he thought this over, hearing Bruce's words from earlier in his head, "no actually I'm not sorry for taking your suit away, that you deserved, and I stand by my decision." He sighed before continuing in a softer tone, "I am, however, sorry that I left you at the tower unprotected and you had to face those guys by yourself." He gently grabs ahold of Peter's uninjured hand, mindful of the iv sticking out of his palm, "god I was so worried kid, seeing you lying there on the ground; unconscious and covered in blood…, –"

"But I'm fine now Mr. Stark…well I will be in a couple of days. I don't blame you and it's not your fault." Peter flashed a small smile at his mentor.

 _I don't deserve this kid._ Tony thought as he enveloped the boy in a gentle hug, careful not to press on his cracked ribs. Peter's heart fluttered in his chest as he was filled with happiness. "That's not a hug, I'm just grabbing the door for you. We're not there yet." Peter remembers those words clearly as Tony had dropped him off at his apartment after the fight in Germany. Apparently, they were there now, seeing as the man was currently hugging him, holding him close to his chest.

As Tony let go of the teen, he noticed his eyelids were starting to droop as he was fighting to stay awake. He ran a hand through his curls gently. "Get some sleep, I'll be here when you wake up." Peter obliged and let his eyelids fall shut. His breathing, though pained, evened out and he was asleep within the minute.

The other Avengers started entering the room one by one, joining Tony at Peter's bedside. All of them had been worried from the moment they'd heard Tony mutter the words of a break in at the tower. Yet none of them had blamed Tony for Peter getting hurt. He couldn't have known that Hydra men would infiltrate the building and attack the kid.

For now, they were relieved that he was recovering and would soon be back to his normal and bubbly self. There was, however, still a task at hand which had them all in fear. Someone had to call aunt May and inform her on Peter's condition…

As they addressed this, 5 voices sounded, saying the same thing simultaneously; "I'm not calling her." All eyes turned to Happy as the man entered the room in that moment, not knowing he'd just walked into a trap.


End file.
